Okay, please change the ‘Frakie’ to ‘Frankie’ (sorry), and now I have to go dig out one of Kurt’s books to verify the spelling of his last name.
Heavy sigh,
-E-
I read Rich Dad Poor dad by Robert Kiyosaki. I don’t recommend it. It is another get rich type book.
I ordered Sevillian Steel by James Loriega and The Naked Communist by Cleon Skousen. Trying out this internet bookstore thingy. A virtual friend is supposed to send me The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. But they haven’t shown up yet.
I’m not much of a book reader. I prefer magazine articles. I guess it is an attention span problem.
Just finished The Descent by Jeffrey Long, and The Sub: A Study in Witchcraft by Thomas Disch. Both of these writers did very original things with standard sci-fi/fantasy plots.
Next up is Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King, a short story collection with a Viet Nam theme.
Sorry to hear about the Orson Scott Card books – they’re in my TBR pile too and I really hate stumbling over character names.
“Mr. X” by Peter Straub. I love Stephen King, but Straub tends to be the better writer; more literate and greater depth for my money.
Saint Eutychus
www.disneyshorts.org
KCB: I know how you feel. Once I get into a Tom Clancy book, I cannot get out.
Well i just re-read Lolita and was about to start Picture of Dorian Grey but someone reccomended Richard Bach, so I may go to the library.
Don’t let the loveless ones sell you a world wrapped in grey.
Bellwether by Connie Willis. Intelligent (quasi SF) take on fads and group dynamics.
The Orchid Thief by Orlean (forgot the first name; writer for “New Yorker”) Nonfiction on the orchid trade. It’s real life Florida crazies; Carl Hiaason and Dave Barry territory only true. It’s a con man, renegade Seminoles, and a lot of genuinely fascinating stuff on orchids. Offbeat, but I can’t put it down!
Too many murder mysteries to name. I’m addicted. Probably something Freudian there…
I just finished Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett. Which wasn’t as good as some of his other Discworld books, but was still a great read. 
I just started War in the Shadows which is a meaty study of geurrilla warfare throughout the centuries. My usual m. o. keeps me working through some weighty work while taking breaks to consume lighter stuff - I’ll probably read 3-5 other books before I finish the above. I was also reading Len Deighton’s Blood, Tears and Folly, but I tidied up yesterday and I’ll just have to pick that back up whenever I find it. In the alternative I’m reading P.J. O’Rourke’s Give War a Chance.
Has anybody seen anything written about the final events directly leading to the opening of the Berlin Wall?
Regards
A TON of books by the bedside . . . that I hope to get to sooner or later. Including the unexpurgated Stranger in a Strange Land; seems that Heinlein had to do quite a bit of censoring to get it published originally. And The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying.
On the floor, a big stack of magazines, including a couple months worth of “Bass Player,” the usual union magazines and other trade papers, “Sports Car,” and all those damn computer magazines I signed up for in a moment of insanity.
And I’m waiting for my mother to get finished with the new Elizabeth George, because I love those Inspector Lynley mysteries.
Mostly right now I’m reading John Sarno’s Healing Back Pain . . .hoping I can get it to work.
your humble TubaDiva
OWIE!
Right now I’m reading The Gulag Archipelago by Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn. It’s a really neat look into the Russian Criminal syatem during the time of Stalin.
“Cien anos de soledad” (with a tilda over the second n).
It is well above my reading level in Spanish, but since I have already read it in English (“A Hundred Years of Solitude”), it is kind of fun and a good vocabulary building exercise.
Right now I’m reading The American Way Of Death by Jessica Mitford, The Glass Teat by Harlan Ellison, and the back of a box of Mini-Wheats.
What I’ve read in the last couple of weeks:
A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold; the thirteenth volume in her Barrayar series. An excellent series for anyone who enjoys science fiction.
Walk in Hell by Harry Turtledove. Second (or third if you count the prequel) in his Great War series about an alternate history where the Confederacy won the Civil War and the USA and CSA are fighting on opposite sides of WWI.
The Deep Thoughts series by Jack Handey. I just bought the whole series from Amazon and read them all together.
Phantom Islands of the Atlantic by Donald Johnson. A history of various non-existent islands that explorers believed existed during the 16th and 17th centuries. I’m still in the middle of this one.
The Professor and the Madman by Simon Winchester. A history of the writng of the Oxford English Dictionary. I’ve only read the first few chapters so far.
Yes, We Have No Neutons by A.K. Dewdney. A collection of essays about bad science like N-rays and cold fusion. A reread.
Term Limits by Vince Flynn. A political thriller. I read about the first 100 pages before deciding it wasn’t good enough to finish.
The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson. A really good novel about a psychopathic small town sheriff. I started this at work last week when I was working a night shift and plan on finishing it this week during the same.
Did Marco Polo Go To China? by Frances Wood. Reread this one because of a thread on the subject in the GQ forum.
Comments on some of the books others have mentioned:
Misanthrope - I’m a big fan of alternate history but I hadn’t heard of Virtual History. Who’s the author and/or editor? And what do you think of the book?
Divemaster - If you haven’t read it, check out The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume I. In my opinion, it’s the best single volume collection of SF stories ever put together.
Sunbear: I saw Barry’s novel and considered buying it. I like his humor columns but wasn’t sure if he could write a good novel. Let me know what you think.
Cristi and KCB615 - If you like Clancy, try Larry Bond. He writes a very similar type of thriller. In fact, he was an unofficial co-author of Red Storm Rising. I’d recommend one of his earlier books like Red Phoenix, Vortex, or Cauldron.
Let’s see…
The Last Mountain Man - don’t rememer the author and the book is currently in the car
The Last Dragonlord - Joanne Bertin
Fuzzy Bones - William Tuning (based on the H. Beam Piper novels)
Carioca Flatch - Gregory McDonald
Everyday Life in the Middle Ages - Sherrilyn Kenyon
Ranting Again - Dennis Miller
Nemesis - Agatha Christie
I think those are all the ones I’m currently working on.
Hey Mike, I just finished, The Professor and The Madman, and I thought it was great. I was surprised this author had written a dozen other books, of which I’ve only seen one!
I am reading Stone of Farewell, book two of Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, by Tad Williams. Pretty standard fantasy, but I like that kind of stuff. I secretly believe that with every corner I turn or new door I open, I am going to find myself in a land of magic, talking animals, and dashing, strong men who sweep me off my feeet and help me defeat evil.
Hey Michelle, that is a fantastic series, though the middle book is very much a bridging chapter.
The third one, To Green Angel Tower, is simply outstanding. And long, too.
Sure, it’s standard, but it’s at the peak of what can be achieved with those standards.
The cover art by Michael Whelan kicks ass too.
Don’t really have much spare time to do any reading right now, now that I’m in school, but just before school began I finished the Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake. It’s an unusual fantasy full of surreal imagery and grotesque, memorable characters. The story is of a newborn boy (Titus Groan) who is heir to the throne of castle Gormenghast, and all activity is built around ancient rituals that no one remembers the significance of. I’ve heard a rumor Terry Gilliam may make a movie of it. Anyone know? Anyway, it’s definitely worth reading.
Currently, I’m reading “Shaman” by Noah Gordon and “When or Where” by Anita Shreve. I pick up one or the other, depending on my mood and how much spare time I have. I will complicate matters when the books I ordered from Amazon.com arrive: “Bridget Jones” and “'Tis.”
Books I am eternally in the middle of because I can’t seem to get ‘into’ them, are “Anna Karenina,” “A Thousand Acres,” and “Cold Mountain.” If you highly recommend any of these, please let me know b/c I need the inspiration to perservere.